The distribution and amount of carbon in the largest peatland complex in Amazonia

Abstract

Peatlands in Amazonian Peru are known to store large quantities of carbon, but there is high uncertainty in the spatial extent and total carbon stocks of these ecosystems. Here, we use a multi-sensor (Landsat, ALOS PALSAR and SRTM) remote sensing approach, together with field data including 24 forest census plots and 218 peat thickness measurements, to map the distribution of peatland vegetation types and calculate the combined above-and below-ground carbon stock of peatland ecosystems in the Pastaza-Marañon foreland basin in Peru. We find that peatlands cover 35 600 ± 2133 km 2 and contain 3.14 (0.44-8.15) Pg C. Variation in peat thickness and bulk density are the most important sources of uncertainty in these values. One particular ecosystem type, peatland pole forest, is found to be the most carbon-dense ecosystem yet identified in Amazonia (1391 ± 710 Mg C ha −1 ). The novel approach of combining optical and radar remote sensing with above-and below-ground carbon inventories is recommended for developing regional carbon estimates for tropical peatlands globally. Finally, we suggest that Amazonian peatlands should be a priority for research and conservation before the developing regional infrastructure causes an acceleration in the exploitation and degradation of these ecosystems.

Age, extent and carbon storage of the central Congo Basin peatland complex

“…Uncertainty, while absolutely large, is proportionately smaller than initial estimates of other extensive peatlands 3 . Additional peat depth measurements, guided by our map, should reduce the uncertainty on our first estimate.…”

Greenhouse gas emissions along a peat swamp forest degradation gradient in the Peruvian Amazon: soil moisture and palm roots effects

“…Peru is estimated to harbor one of the largest extents of tropical peatlands in the world (Gumbricht et al 2017;Draper et al 2014;Page et al 2011). Mauritia flexuosa-dominated palm swamp forests are the dominant peatland ecosystem type in the Peruvian Amazon (Draper et al 2014).…”

“…Mauritia flexuosa-dominated palm swamp forests are the dominant peatland ecosystem type in the Peruvian Amazon (Draper et al 2014). Interest in the carbon pools of the Peruvian Amazon peatlands has increased in recent years.…”

“…Interest in the carbon pools of the Peruvian Amazon peatlands has increased in recent years. Since Lähteenoja et al (2009a) explored their extent, research further expanded into other fields such as palaeoecology (Roucoux et al 2013), C stocks estimates (Draper et al 2014), M. flexuosa management (Virapongse et al 2017), the characterization of degradation , and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes (Teh et al 2017). The challenges that Peruvian peatlands face are substantially different from those in Southeast Asia.…”

Diversidad, Estructura Y Carbono De Los Bosques Aluviales Del Noreste Peruano

“…Por ejemplo, las especies Sacoglottis ceratocarpa y Caraipa tereticaulis del bosque pantanoso REQ-13 también ocurren en bosques de arena blanca. Tal es el caso, también de Pachira brevipes, Dendropanax resinosus, Platycarpum orinocense que ocurren en bosques pantanosos denominados varillales hidromórficos y reportados en zonas cercanas a nuestra zona de estudio (Draper et al,2014;Kelly et al, 2014). Tanto los bosques pantanosos como los bosques de arena blanca presentan condiciones extremas de suelos bajos en nutrientes y por lo tanto podría explicar la presencia de especies adaptadas a estas condiciones.…”